Exit Path
by Soursugar88
Summary: TurboTime twins-centric fic. Tired of hiding out in the Internet Grid doing nothing, the twins head out and find a job as avatars in an unusual location. Of course, nothing comes without some bumps in the road. Might classify as a dark fic in later chapters. Rated T for some of the deaths, and because of my paranoia.


_A/N: uh... Hi? Anyways, here is a new story, focusing on the TurboTime twins. This is by far the darkest thing I ever wrote, but, I only wrote three other things. Not that dark at the beginning, but seriously, the later chapters might earn this fic the title of a dark fic. So, here._

* * *

Chapter one: Looking for Work

"Piston... Piston..."

Piston was back in TurboTime, with Turbo walking towards him.

"What's going on? This game was unplugged 25 years ago!"

"That doesn't matter now. It's back now"

Piston reached out to Turbo, to test if this was really happening. To Piston's surprise, his hand passed through Turbo. Then, to Piston's horror, the game world started to dissolve into pixels, threatening to suck Piston in the void. He tried to bolt, but Turbo grabbed his wrist, having surprising strength for an apparition. Piston was frozen in fear as the void came closer, Turbo smiling evilly at him as Piston started to dispel into pixels.

"Piston, wake up!"

Piston's eyes snapped open, and they surveyed the area. He wasn't in TurboTime. He was in the camouflaged house he and Throttle share, in SIM city, in game 499-1A. One out of the billions of SIM city games out there.

Piston was jolted out of his revere when Throttle said "Piston, what were you dreaming about?"

"I was back in TurboTime, but then the game started to dissolve. Turbo was there," Piston said.

"You miss him, don't you?"

"...yeah."

It had been 25 years since Turbo went game-jumping, and gotten himself out of commission, along with their home game and RoadBlasters. Since then, The twins have been hanging around in the Grid, which is Game Central Station, but bigger and for the Internet, and is in one of those radio towers.

"Piston," Throttle began, "we need to find work. I mean, aren't you tired of just mooching around all day?"

"Well, I suppose work would be good."

"Come on, then. We can ask one of the cops in the Grid to see who is hiring."

So, the two hustled across the simulation town, and onto the AirWay system, which transports characters through the air to and from external ports and the Grid. As the twins travelled through the airwaves, their AirWay shuttle picked up airwaves from the radio station, which enabled them to listen to music. As the shuttle arrived in the Grid, they stopped. It was absolutely packed today. I mean, it's always crowded, but today was just crazy! The twins saw Fancy Pants Man from FPA worlds 1,2, and 3; the elephant from the laser game "elephant rave," Fireboy and Watergirl from the series of games by the same name, the cat from "sushi cat," the cube from "super D",and the flea from "flea", amongst many others. There was also a man with a skin-tight ecru suit, as well as a mask by the same color, and legwarmers that were dark blue. He also had on spherical glasses in that same ecru.

"Throttle, let's go and find a cop so we can get a job," Piston tried to urge his brother along, but the man in the suit must have heard them, because he came the way of the twins and said "excuse me, I'm aware you're looking for a job," and, upon noticing the twins' confused faces, says "I'm the Head Of Avatars, from 'Exit Path.'"

The twins have heard of that game. It was a platformer game in which you have to escape the facility where you are held in, and make your way to freedom. It had sharp giant buzz saws, and axes, and spikes. It was a game where you get chopped into pieces on a daily basis. "What do you want with us?" Throttle inquired, wary of the Head Of Avatars.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to offer you a job."

"A job? But... Aren't you from that running gauntlet game? We'll be dead in seconds!" Throttle was more than a bit shocked.

"Well, there's actually one aspect. When you die in my game, you don't die, per say. Your life rewinds. I accidentally discovered that when Fancy Pants Man fell on a buzz saw while visiting. It is impossible to die in Exit Path, or Exit Path 2, which is the game I'm from. But, everybody sees my game and says 'oh, blades! Axes! Spikes! Ahhh!' It's been like that ever since Fancy Pants Man fell on that buzz saw. I'm ready to train you to be avatars in Exit Path 2, because I'm compassionate. If you like, come by Exit Path 2, game 480-2M. Come early tomorrow." And with that, he ran at a breakneck speed-what was that power called? Oh yeah, 'flow'.

* * *

"Throttle, I'm a little nervous." Piston admitted, only that was understatement and a blatant lie. The poor guy was shaking visibly, which didn't escape the attention of Throttle, who placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Piston leaned on his brother, not calmed in the least. After the twins finished packing up their stuff, they fell asleep, Piston thrashing around, covered in sweat, and crying a little in his sleep, having nightmares about Turbo repeatedly throwing him into the buzz saws of Exit Path, then having flashbacks to the past, when the guys at Tapper beat him up, and Turbo scared them off, when he won a race against Turbo, causing the latter to blow up at him, turning one of his best days he could remember into one of the worst, and when he and Throttle planned a surprise birthday party for Turbo. In between flashbacks, Piston experienced the vision of being thrown into the buzz saws, over and over again. After all, you can't die in Exit Path.

Piston woke up drenched in sweat, his face buried in his now extremely soggy pillow. He glanced at the clock. 7:08. Throttle should be awake by now. Piston dragged himself out of bed, and immediately tripped on something on the floor. Throttle, who was recovering from being tripped on, faced Piston, who was laying on the floor, still comprehending what happened. "Piston, you okay?" Throttle asked worriedly.

"No, not really. What are you doing, sleeping on the floor?"

"Well, I came here cause I heard you muttering, and you were all sweaty, and I tried to get you up, but you wouldn't wake up. I even picked you up and threw you on the bed a couple of times. You wouldn't wake up. What exactly were you dreaming about?"

"Oh, just a stupid nightmare. I guess I'm still nervous about Exit Path." Piston said, though he was lying through his teeth. He was nervous about their new job, though that wasn't why he had the nightmare. He was still unnerved about that night, and was still dwelling on it as he and Throttle left their home in SIM City for good.

* * *

"You came? That's a first."

The Head Of Avatars was surprised when the twins arrived in Exit Path 2, bags in hand. "Anywhoo, you will be trained to run the course. Since you entered the game, you've been automatically given platformer jumping skills and the ability to flow."

"How dies that work out?" Throttle inquired.

"I'm not really sure. Anyways, I'd better get you two a trainer."

"Wait, so you won't be training us?" Piston was confused.

"No, but I have the next best thing. In fact, this avatar is better than me!" He grabbed an avatar with a light red suit and dark red legwarmers and pointed cap by the hand. "Xenon, where you headed?"

"The mess hall."

"Look, can you find Ciamarra and tell her to get her purple keister over here, she has an assignment."

"Okay," Xenon replied, staring at Throttle and Piston. Xenon bolted in the direction he came, flowing to go along faster.

"Who is Ciamarra?" Throttle asked.

"Ciamarra is our top avatar. She is much better than me in running, flowing, timing...

"N-not to be rude, but w-why isn't SHE the Head Of Avatars?" Piston posed the question acting like the Head Of Avatars would take offense and throw him in the buzz saws. To Piston's relief, that's not what happened. Instead, the Head Of Avatars answered his question with a warm smile.

"I offered her the job, but she turned it down. She didn't feel ready to lead millions of avatars."

"I'm here, Head, what do you want?"

Their conversation was interrupted when Ciamarra walked in the room. She had a skintight darkish lavender suit, with dark blue legwarmers and a ponytail of the same color, really the only indentation that she was female. She held two lean, white swords, one in each hand, and she also had glasses, but hers were that dark lavender, and more triangular. "Xenon said you wanted to see me?"

"Oh, yes. These two will work here as avatars, and I need you to train them. Their names are..." The Head Of Avatars trailed off as he realized he didn't ask the twins their names.

Ciamarra chuckled. "You don't know their names?"

Throttle decided to speak up. "I'm Throttle, and this is Piston," he said, gesturing to Piston on the last line.

"Oh. I'm Ciamarra Virture, but my friends call me C. "

"C Virtue? Wow. " Throttle was amused by this girl's meaningful name.

"Yeah. Self-dubbed. I named myself. Come on, I'll show you around the game. I'll also show you where you'll be staying. Come on, you're in a running game, not a snail race!" Ciamarra liked to joke around. With that said, they left the room. "Did you see Xenon? Well, he was running to the rooms where the avatars sleep to find me. Over there is the mess hall, and that is the flair room, where you get the stuff you hold. That's the training hall, where new avatars perfect their jumping and flow techniques. And, that's about it. Oh, the number one rule of Exit Path is: don't resist the player, and don't try to take control of the game."

Piston was nodding mechanically the whole time Ciamarra was explaining that, but was listening intently. He was starting to be less afraid of the rotary blades. He trusted Ciamarra, something he didn't do in twenty-five years.

No one noticed a certain avatar lurking behind the axes.

* * *

_A/N: how was that first chapter? Good? Bad? Something? As you can see, I love platformers. Every single game I mentioned in this chapter is real. _

_Oh, useless fun fact about this fic: It was originally scrapped because I had no ideas for events, and I planned to merge the climax part with another fic, but I was thinking about this fic, and I got more than enough ideas for events, so it's uncancelled. Review, so I know that decision was not in vain._


End file.
